Several prior art electrical connectors have been proposed for attaching a pair of electrical cables to a panel or an electrical box. These prior art electrical connectors 20 typically comprise at least two-pieces including, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a leading body portion 22 and a trailing body portion 24 connected by a screw 26 or similar fastener. The leading body portion 22 and trailing body portion 24 are secured together to form an electrical connector body 20 having a leading end 28 with a single bore 30 therein and a trailing end 32 with two bores 34 therein. The prior art electrical connector 20 facilitates the connection of two electrical cables (not shown) to a knockout hole in a panel or electrical box by securing one cable into each of the bores 34 and connecting the leading end 28 into the panel or electrical box. The electrical cables are secured to the trailing end of the connector body and wiring from the cables routed through the bore 30 in the leading end 28 and into the panel or the electrical box (not shown). Several of these prior art electrical connector bodies, which are comprised of at least two pieces, are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,355,884, 6,521,831, 7,304,251, and 7,329,144 which are commonly owned by the owner of this application and which are incorporated herein into this disclosure in their entireties by reference thereto.
Typically the prior art connectors as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 are constructed of metal and the leading and trailing body portions are each manufactured in a die-cast molding operation. Die-casting the leading and trailing body portions therefore required the production of a core and a separate die-cast molding for each part. After each body portion was die cast, several secondary operations were required to fit the leading and trailing body portions together and secure them with the fastener. Prior art electrical fittings of the type accepting two cables for connection through a single aperture in a panel or electrical box therefore were complex to produce, requiring several separate body portions to form the connector body and several secondary operations to connect the separate body portions into a single connector body.
What is needed therefore is a simpler system for producing an electrical fitting of the type described herein, for connecting two cables to a single knockout hole in a panel or electrical box. The system should be capable of producing a one-piece connector body that eliminates several secondary operations, including securing the two body portions together to form the connector body. Elimination of secondary operations substantially decreases the complexity and cost of the connector body.